Agapanthus plant named ‘SARAH’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Agapanthus praecox  plant named ‘Sarah’ characterized by its distinctly arranged upward pointing florets producing a candelabra shaped umbel, bicolored florets and dark green foliage.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF PLANT CLAIMED

Agapanthus praecox ‘Sarah’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct Agapanthus plant,hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Sarah’. This new cultivarwas developed by the inventor through a controlled breeding programduring 1993 in Hamilton, New Zealand.

The female parent of ‘Sarah’ was an unnamed Agapanthus praecox seedlingwhich is characterized by its strong stem, blue to lilac flower colorand leaf color atypical for praecox species. The male parent of ‘Sarah’was a proprietary Agapanthus praecox seedling which is characterized byits profuse florets and leaf color atypical for praecox species. Theresulting seed was collected and germinated. From the flowering progeny,a plant was selected in 1996 and initially designated Agapanthus 007.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by divisions taken in NewZealand has demonstrated that the characteristics of the new cultivar asherein described are firmly fixed and are retained through successivegenerations of such asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Sarah’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Sarah’ as a new and distinct cultivar.

It was found that the cultivar of the present invention:

(a) Exhibits a unique candelabra shaped umbel;

(b) Forms bi-colored purple flowers; and

(c) Exhibits dense dark green foliage.

When the new cultivar of the present invention is compared to ‘PeterPan’ (non-patented) it is found that the new cultivar exhibits adistinctly different inflorescence which is candelabra shaped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs show as nearly true as it is reasonablypossible to make the same in color illustrations of this type, typicalflower and foliage characteristics of the new cultivar.

FIG. 1A shows the whole plant with umbels in bud.

FIG. 1B shows a close up of a single umbel.

FIG. 1C shows a typical umbel.

FIG. 1D shows plants having umbels, after senescence, with no seedformation.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The ‘Sarah’ cultivar has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that thephenotype may vary somewhat with variations in the environment, such astemperature, light intensity and day length.

The chart used in the identification of colors described herein is TheR.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England.The plants were produced from divisions taken from stock plants and weregrown for two years in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Classification:

Botanical.—Agapanthus praecox cultivar ‘Sarah’.

Commercial.—Agapanthus.

Propagation:

Type.—Division.

Time to initiate roots.—Approximately 30 days.

Rooting habit.—Prolific.

Plant description:

General appearance and form.—Evergreen perennial herb with dense, darkgreen foliage without variegation.

Rhizome.—Fleshy tuberous.

Plant height.—Approximately 40-60 cm.

Plant spread.—Approximately 30-40 cm.

Scapes.—Rigid; Length 55-70 cm; Diameter approximately 8 mm.

Foliage description:

General description and form.—Leaves are distichously arranged arisingfrom near the ground and united into a stout pseudo-bulb, glabrous andcanaliculate towards the base from the center.

Texture.—Thin, glaucous.

Shape.—Ligulate-lorate, with entire margin, acute/rounded apex andsessile base.

Color of mature foliage.—Upper surface, RHS Green Group 138B; lowersurface, RHS Green Group 138C.

Size of mature leaves.—Aproximately 45-60 cm in length; approximately1.5-2 cm in width.

Inflorescence description:

General appearance and form.—Outer whorl of pedicels arising from ascape at right angles and then curving to eventuate in a verticalposition to form an almost symmetrical un-congested, candelabra shapedumbel.

Umbel size.—14 cm high, 15 cm wide.

Bracts.—Subtended by the florets. Arising from the junction of thepedicel and scape; 4 mm long, papery and persistent.

Flowering habit.—‘Sarah’ is freely flowering under outdoor growingconditions with substantially continuous blooming from spring untilfall.

Flower description:

General description and appearance.—Very numerous, actinomorphic withcanaliculate tepals, epipetalous stamens, open mouthed and upwardfacing.

Flower longevity.—Approximately 30 days.

Quantity of flowers.—50-60 florets per umbel.

Umbel size.—14 cm high, 15 cm wide.

Bracts.—Color of the bracts is closest to 137C.

Floret size.—Length; approximately 3.5 cm; width: approximately 4 cm.

Floret color.—RHS Violet-Blue Group 92D with a 3 mm broad, prominentcentral band of darker pigmentation of RHS Violet-Blue Group 92B presentfrom the apex of the tepal to the position where they become connate.Tepal margins are RHS Violet-Blue Group 92C. Florets fading to RHSPurple-Violet Group 80B. Outer base of corolla tube where it joins thepedicel is RHS Green Group 143C, suffusing in some cases 1 cm alongabaxial surface of the tepal.

Tepals.—Margins noticeably undulate on the broader tepals and notoverlapping. Tepals conspicuously canaliculate. Number — 9-12; length —3.7 cm from where it joins the pedicel.

Pedicels.—Outer whorl 7.5 cm long; inner whorl 9.5 cm long.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: prominent and exerted with adnatefilaments and dorsifixed and versatile anther lobes. Stamens: number —9; length — 3 cm. Pollen color is yellow, maturing to orange brown withanther maturing to dark brown before withering. Gynoecium — one pistil,2.8 cm long. Stigma: 2 cm in length. Occasionally 4-5 stigmas presentfrom a single floret. Ovary: Ribbed. RHS Yellow-Green Group 144C.

Fruits.—Sterile.

Seed production.—No seed production has been observed.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Agapanthus praecox plant named ‘Sarah’substantially as herein shown and described, which: (a) exhibits aunique candelabra shaped umbel; (b) forms bi-colored purple flowers; and